Meanwhile, changing the shape of the rounded stairway at the back to a square one would provide further space, for 14 more passengers plus two food trolleys.

“There’s a lot more revenue generation potential,” Wuggetzer said at the Aircraft Interiors fair in Hamburg on Tuesday.

The changes are available as a retrofit to existing A380s or as options on new jets, Wuggetzer said, adding that Airbus had customers “interested and signed” for some of the elements.

If other space-saving changes such as a new cabin crew rest compartment and a new seat layout are taken into consideration, airlines can add up to 80 more seats, Airbus said.

Airbus recently shelved plans for a bolder upgrade of the A380, involving new engines, due to cost. It also announced plans to cut output to one a month due to poor sales.

Also seeking to drive interest in the A380, Airbus last month teamed up with content platform Routehappy to provide airlines Lufthansa (LHAG.DE), Emirates [EMIRA.UL], Cathay Pacific (0293.HK) and Singapore Airlines (SIAL.SI) with content such as pictures and virtual tours for their websites that shows potential passengers the attributes of A380 and A350 aircraft.